DR1 Daily News - Dominican Republic

The Coalition for the Defense of Protected Areas issued a firm warning on 18 March 2026, rejecting a legislative proposal to construct a high-security penitentiary on Beata Island. The coalition characterized the project as a “flagrant environmental crime” and an “outrage” against the Dominican Republic’s conservation system. The project for the 10,000-inmate jail on Beata had received a favorable report from the Permanent Commission of the Public Ministry on 26 November 2025.

The proposal, which appeared on the agenda of the Chamber of Deputies’ ordinary session (No. 00006) on 18 March 2026, seeks to request that the Executive Branch establish a “model” prison on the island. The proposal was originally introduced on 21 June 2022 by deputies Elías Wessin Chávez (National District), Miguel Alberto Bogaert Marra (Santo Domingo), and Miguel Ángel de los Santos (National...